Film Screening and Discussion: Backstreet to the American Dream

Backstreet to the American Dream is a modern-day look at the classic American Dream done through the quintessential 21st Century entrepreneurial endeavor – food trucks! This deep dive into the birthplace of the $2 billion dollar global phenomenon, Los Angeles, profiles two trucks and juxtaposes the experiences of American entrepreneurs and Mexican immigrants in the food truck industry. Indeed, these are very different operations in the same city: the gourmet burger truck, Grill \\\’Em All, is the first season winner of The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network in 2010, and El Pescadito, a mariscos lonchera (seafood truck), that has been parking at the same swap meet in an immigrant neighborhood since 1982.

This bilingual story takes the audience on a journey and looks at how street food fosters inclusion. Through rich and vibrant stories of everyday Americans, the 90-minute feature explores the connection between food, culture, and community and discovers that the meaning of the American Dream is in the eye of the beholder.